1.9 million still without power after storm; death toll hits 20

November 1, 2011

-early-snow-storm-rocks-northeast.html

November 1, 2011 | 11:03am

Repair crews across the Northeast were making progress Tuesday in restoring

power cut by an unusually early snowstorm, but about 1.9 million people remained

without electricity -- including almost half of Connecticut.

As of 8 a.m., the number of people without electricity was down from a peak of

2.4 million earlier in the week, a spokeswoman for the federal Department of

Energy said in a telephone interview. The worst hit state was Connecticut, with

about 757,000 customers without electricity, she said.

In all, more than 20 deaths have been reported in five Northeast states and one

in Canada from the weekend storm that in some areas dumped up to 30 inches of

wet, heavy snow. Many trees still had bright, autumn leaves when the snow hit,

snapping limbs and taking down power lines.

Areas with large concentrations of people and trees, such as Connecticut, bore

the brunt of the power outages, as it did when Tropical Storm Irene swept

through the region two months ago.

At a morning briefing in Hartford, Jeff , president of Connecticut Light &

Power, the state's major utility, told reporters that he hoped power could be

restored soon to its four substations still without electricity. He said 486

line crews and 284 tree crews were at work.

A spokesman for the utility was not immediately available, but told

reporters at the briefing that he understood the frustration of the state's

residents, many of whom have endured four nights without heat and light.

" I'd like to start off by addressing our customers, especially given the fact

that two months ago many of these customers faced lengthy outages [and] are once

again facing prolonged outages, " he said. " Certainly not only the frustration

but the challenges of living without power are, especially as the weather

changes ... significant. We recognize that. "

According to the Department of Energy spokeswoman, New Jersey, with about

388,000 people still without power, was second-hardest hit by the outages. But

its numbers were sharply down from the nearly 700,000 once affected.

Massachusetts had 344,000 without power, followed by New York with 179,000,

Pennsylvania with 167,000, New Hampshire with about 146,000, West Virginia with

about 2,900, Maine with 2,200 and land with about 1,400, the spokeswoman

said.

Vermont and Rhode Island had service fully restored to the 7,500 and 20,000

customers, respectively, who lost power in the storm.

Recommended Posts